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Ugly Betty: Brothers (2007)
Judith Light shines
Judith Light keeps knocking it out of the park, ably assisted by fellow guest star Rebecca Romijn. America Ferrera's scenes with Light are particularly delightful, the acerbic Claire Meade accepting Betty as a fellow person who cares about her children; Claire seems a titch lighter, while Betty shows a firmness and growing confidence, in Claire's presence. Eric Mabius's Daniel is not my favorite character (that. Hair.), but he handles his character's continuing setbacks and growth very well, in this episode and others. Justin's side story is well-handled, and Walter's exit is graceful. Betty is free, but now Henry isn't - well , it is a soap opera!
Black and Missing (2021)
Thoughtful, informative
A thoughtful, informative docuseries exploring some cases of missing Black women, men, and children as well as an organization seeking to find the missing and to prevent others going missing.
At less than 60 votes, the series has a rating less than 4 - looking at the demographics, it's clear than there are a good number of men who downvoted it. Misogyny, IMDb, you really ought ought to address it.
Evil Lives Here: Momma Made Me Help (2020)
Exploitation and trauma porn
When you're looking for an example of why some people are disgusted by true crime shows, this episode should come to mind. The woman being interviewed repeatedly says she can't deal with talking and is in clear distress throughout, but the filmmakers just keep going, on and on - gotta fill the minutes for advertisers, I guess.
Is it possible they offered her a therapist before, during, or after filming? I suppose it's possible, but it doesn't feel like it. What I'm guessing they offered her is money - money to keep her in front of the camera. Because prurience sells.
The Neutral Ground (2021)
Moment of history
From Charleston the Charlottesville and beyond, a journey C. J. Hunt takes for himself, bringing us along as he confronts the honesty with which he needs to face the racism the US fights so hard not to face. Starting after the massacre in Charleston inspired a new (but not, I think, the first) effort in New Orleans to remove monuments to the Confederacy and its leaders, with many voices and sides seen and heard from, before Hunt begins to focus himself and our journey on new paths. Familiar history, historical lies, and the beginnings of telling more history, some as it happens. Humor, tragedy, anger, triumph; hope. Masterfully done, a journey I am glad to have taken.
The Partridge Family: The Selling of the Partridge (1973)
White dude runs for class president against better qualified female. Guess who wins?
Holly Near? Sure, I'll check it out - after all, she's a singer with a long career, they'll let her sing, right?
Hoo, boy. Keith decides to run for student body president; Laurie is running opponent Phyllis Goldberg (Near)'s campaign. An excellent, thoughtful speech by Phyllis leads to Keith throwing his backing behind her (it's not clear why he's running; she's clearly someone with ideas and principles and a vision). How excellent to see a less-qualified man acknowledge that his opponent is more worthy!
Somehow we still end up... with the white dude as president. Well, that has been the story my whole life, since before this show aired and to the current time: I shouldn't have been surprised one whit. Depressingly predictable and accurate, for the past centuries and apparently into the next.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Reveille (2004)
NCIS as alternate reality
One more episode with NCIS's cardboard bogeyman "terrorists", laughably omnipotent. As with the whole series, competent actors and standard characters in the service of overwrought outsize conspiracy theories.
A few episodes back, they introduce a straw man of faux militia, discussing them a little but making them covert ops - as with the series, overlooking that the most serious threat to US safety since 9/11 is and continues to be right-wing homegrown white supremacist groups - like those militia types. But no, with vaguely "middle eastern" music playing, we focus on supposed threat of jihad.
Cutting Edge: Wedding Days (2006)
Skillful and moving documentary
YouTube threw this at me and I thank the random YT gods, for all the tissues I went through. A simple documentary done with great skill. The premise: take the 20 couples whose wedding photos appeared in their town paper in August, 1980, and see how they fared, from before the wedding day until now. Some stories were close to the bone, reminding me of friends' experiences, some made me laugh, some moved me, some had regrets. Some days I wish I could hear the life story of every person in the world. This slice of humanity is what I think I'd find, across us all: people of all types, with good, or good enough, hearts, surviving happiness, unhappiness, mistakes and life's vicissitudes. Just lovely. Grab the Kleenex.
Criminal Minds: 100 (2009)
bad father gains custody at last
In which Aaron Hotchner, one of TV's worst fathers, gets rid of the pesky ex-wife and gains custody of his child, no courts or lawyers needed. Hotchner, who more than once asked his wife to wake his son so he could talk to him - who does that? - and who lost his family by opting out of their lives, now gets to raise his son on his own, while we get the turn of the screw that is victimizing his wife, who was well out of his life, but had to die anyway. Sexist, stupid TV drama sludge.
New Girl: Prince (2014)
Good night, sweet Prince
Things happen, and Jess and CeeCee get invited to a party at Prince's... and Nick says I love you. Of course the guys have to wangle their way into the party, with various schemes, meet beautiful people -and Prince helps Jess figure things out. Everyone wins, and then there's singing. Sweet and well done and uses the way many of us feel about the magic of Prince well.
How to Get Away with Murder: Let's Get to Scooping (2014)
Amazing scene
Strong characters and emotions in this episode, believable conflicts and often funny dialog, culminating in an astonishing scene that had my jaw dropped at its intensity.
Annelise stripping off her jewelry and make-up to face herself and her husband with no disguise, no illusions: beautifully shot, beautifully acted, perfect characterization. I've been enjoying the show, but now I'm hooked.
To reach the ten-line minimum, I'll add that the stock trader character and her staff were a fun mirror to Annelise's team, as well as being well-drawn in quick brushstrokes. The plots are well woven together.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Dead Man Talking (2004)
Sexism and Transphobia
I've been watching NCIS and its gender attitudes with mild disbelief: it's hard to believe they think the sexism and sexual harassment portrayed as "good fun" is tolerable after, among other things, the Tailhook scandal. Then we get this episode, with its unquestioned, ignorant, and nasty transphobia. Times haven't changed that much: this was unacceptable in 2004, even if more people are more aware of its offensiveness now.
Are there some interesting characters in the show? Sure. Is the sexist horny-toad a tolerable character? Nope.
So: ugh.
Crossing Jordan: Prisoner Exchange (2002)
Ludicrous
Good god, so ludicrous - I understand the needs of plotting, but can't they spend any time making plot points seem the least bit realistic?
Court procedures, medical examiners running after criminals - okay, that's the problem with the whole show, though it's not as bad as CSI (forensics investigators with guns running around shooting people?), it's pretty egregious, and this is an example of the worst stretching of the limits.
It's hard to understand why Jordan would be so determined to pursue a woman who killed her abusive husband who had threatened her life and her family's lives if she left him, and harder to understand why the subject of battered-person syndrome did not come up with regard to that.
Criminal Minds: Fear and Loathing (2007)
More heavy-handed than usual
If there were any doubt, when you see a black cop among the locals when our gang is in town to deal with African-American victims dying, you know he's just there to be killed. You know, for pathos. for irony.
Who's to blame for black girls getting killed? Them, apparently, when the investigators let someone say that no-one could fall for the fake business cards of the killer. Yup, that's on the girls, then. Who's to blame when the cops aren't finding the killer? The black preacher, talking to the news media. The writers had the nerve to put that nonsense in the mouth of the (soon to be dead) black cop, of course. The episode is shot through with this stuff. You might say that depth and subtlety are never strong points in CM plots, and you'd certainly be right, but you know, someone could read a script and point this stuff out to them.
John Doe: Doe or Die (2003)
How to hold a grudge
After a few previous episodes, I thought they could not come up with any more ridiculous premises. Well, the writers proved me wrong. A disgruntled cop recruits enough people to take over a police precinct? Sure, why not.
And of course when they introduce a minor character at the beginning, you can be sure they are there to make you care when they;re put in peril. That'll work.
And what's the best way to die? In slo-mo, apparently. I am not sure where the lead baddie, who is a Welsh actor, thought his American accent was from, either. New York is usually what newbies go for.
Risible nonsense. the acting remains decent, but oh, the nonsense.
John Doe: Mind Games (2002)
totally ridiculous
I have suspended my disbelief to enjoy this show, but this episode jumped the shark. So much time spent on silliness about some guy chasing down sperm donors and eugenics, and the guest actors are fine in their roles, but the nonsense of the mother cheerfully seeking out a sperm donor, the child being all "hi, Dad!" with any potential sperm donor, and the glossing over, at best, of the legality of the betrayal of confidentiality. Then the whole issue of how people feel about having their privacy violated, paternity, maternity, parenthood, and more?
Oh, brother. The worst. Go watch The Kids Are All Right for a cleanser.
Magnum, P.I.: Let Me Hear the Music (1985)
Bittersweet episode
An episode with an interesting Hank Williams-inspired flashback opening, about a country back-up singer trying to track down some songs written by his dead star friend 30-odd years before. Good music, good performances, especially by guest star Dennis Weaver, make the story flow. The plot has some twists, some of them a bit easy to see coming, but they don't detract from the tale. The various character actors are believable and interesting. The music, from Higgins' string quartet to a country bar singer to Dennis Weaver, makes a good theme under the story.
Overall, a good entry in the series.
The Killing: Bulldog (2012)
Annoying plot holes
**SPOILERS***
Argh, what an annoying episode! Some great revelations - who Linden's psychiatrist is, say - and, as always, well-acted well-written, subtle, and intricately woven together, but oh DEAR, the plot holes.
The first, once they had the FBI and a search warrant, I can think of no reason on earth why the evidence they find did not go to the FBI to make a Federal case. I can't think that the FBI would let someone remove evidence that way - certainly not someone they describe as "an observer". The second? They find all sorts of campaign material in Richmond's City Hall office. It may seem a small point, but people in political office are not allowed to run campaigns from their elected offices. They can't use the staff there for it, they don't keep materials there. They have, as Richmond does, a campaign office elsewhere, paid for by the campaign, not taxpayers. It was a visual clue for us, but completely wrong.
The other troubling thing in the last few episodes especially, certainly as one son acts up at school and at home, is that nobody says "these kids need counseling". They didn't have to show them getting it, but I found it highly unrealistic that at the school meeting in the previous episode, neither was there a school counselor present, nor did the staff at the meeting bring up counseling. Frankly, I'm pretty sure it's routine for cops to mention the availability of counseling to crime victims.
These don't spoil my enjoyment of a well-crafted show, but they are things that it seems should have been seen and fixed by the writers, producer, or someone.
Star Trek: Voyager: Threshold (1996)
Part of me died
this has to be the worst start trek episode OF ALL TIME.
what the f---? warp 10 makes you evolve? Paris mated with janeway? and it's all about tom Paris's emotional growth, starting from the angst of the privileged white male? "my father said i'd go far, all the kids pointed at me and said i'd do so much" boo hoo poor me.
how bad is the science? how often can people change shape and their entire body chemistry without effect?
a part of me has died.
the only good part was reading the review here that accurately and in detail reflects the awfulness. thanks for that.
Foyle's War: The French Drop (2004)
Threepenny pieces
With regard to the usage "threepenny piece" as discussed in another review, now that Google Ngram Viewer exists, it is possible to to search for the frequency of phrases in printed material from an era. In this case, I searched "threepenny piece" and "threepenny bit". The first comes up as the older usage, the latter more recent, with the popularity of each phrase crossing about 1910: http://books.google.com/ngrams. I am afraid readers will have to submit the search again themselves, as it appears IMDb is not allowing me to include the search results link.
It seems to me "threepenny piece" is the more formal term, supplanted over time by a more slangy usage, though my instinct could be wrong. Still, "threepenny piece" was certainly in use at the time of the war.
Midsomer Murders: King's Crystal (2007)
The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king
An enjoyable outing in perhaps the most murderous English county of all time. From the third scene, when a son sulks and objects at his mother's hasty marriage to his uncle shortly after his father's sudden death, it's clear this is Midsomer's "Hamlet". Part of the fun is in seeing who's who - there's Hamlet, his mother and uncle, Polonius, Ophelia (surrounded by flowers), and more, with bits of Shakespearean dialog references thrown in, too. And yes, a play within a play, deliberately aimed at "catching the conscience of the King". For a while, the plot leads where one would guess, knowing Hamlet, but then an unexpected character dies, and we have to follow Barnaby to pin down the crimes and criminals. Good characterizations, characters who seem like real people, loose ends left for us to contemplate, as in real life, not all tied up neatly at the end - hallmarks of the show, in my experience, and well done here. Plus, Masons, hunky brooding young men, and Cully having her performance of Ophelia ruined by her job-obsessed dad.
Happy Endings (2005)
Lies, secrets, and human nature - just the way they are
Unexpected, intelligent, engrossing. I haven't been driven to recover my IMDb account to write a review for years, until watching this. A very satisfying comedy, beautifully acted, with Kudrow and Gyllenhaal standing out. The structure, starting in one moment, then moving to the past while giving the audience titles commenting, with reassurances or warnings, surprises and adds to the overall effects of an intricately structured, cleverly constructed story - or rather, stories, that connect slightly and dance around each other. Characters who in other comedies would do certain things don't do those obvious things in this movie; people behave like people, for the most part. What's it about? Lies, secrets, people lying to themselves, people becoming some part of the lies they tell; people telling the truth and almost always landing on their feet. Roos's titles are less explanatory than they first appear; the last one contributes to the overall feeling that yes, this is a story being told, and, like writers, good filmmakers often tell stories about characters over whom they feel little control. Showing that to the viewer makes the film feel alive, the characters more real. The music adds both a lightness and poignancy. A few sour notes sounded - the lesbian couple behaved in a more sit-commy, over-the-top way than I thought believable - but overall, this was a movie I was happy to be swept away by, and look forward to seeing again. Gyllenhaal shines - but they all do - I never imagined liking Tom Arnold in a role, yet he comes across as vulnerable, likable, and kind. Just about all the actors and characters are equally well-served. In the end, it's clear the filmmaker cares for them, faults and all; it's the message he sends with Gyllenhaal's final song. Despite fraught moments, broken relationships, gun-pointing, and big secrets, it's rightly billed as a comedy - human nature is celebrated, flaws and all. Just outstanding.